To Strike Sri Lanka Will Be A Religious one

I have just finished reading a very disturbing essay in the May issue of Lanka Academic from Sri Lanka entitled “The Next Tsunami Coming To Sri Lanka Is A Religious One.”  In it, the author, Christian Eckert details how religious cults are taking advantage of the mostly Buddhist and Hindu population of this devastated island in order to conduct what amounts to a forced missionary conversion.  If you thought the days of cultural genocide preformed in the name of Christ were over, *

the following is my response to the essay:

I read with great sorrow Christian Eckert’s essay, “The Next Tsunami To Strike Sri Lanka Will Be A Religious one.”  As a member of the American Buddhist community, I have been deeply moved by the plight of the survivors of the horrific natural disaster that has befallen the people within the circle of destruction wrought by the tsunami.  The thought that various fanatical, mostly Christian, religious sects would use this misfortune to launch a missionary campaign, while not surprising, is deeply distressing.

It seems that religious fundamentalism is some sort of a plague that has been unleashed upon an unsuspecting world.  Here in America, people who respect reason, non-violence and tolerance are literally fighting for our lives against our own tidal wave of right-wing, religious fanaticism that threatens our civil liberties, the principles of science, the education of our children, and our reproductive and life-style choices.

To hear that these pernicious influences are being directed against the devastated, poor, devout, people of Sri Lanka, breaks my heart.

Another disheartening fact is that the progressive community in the United States is largely unaware of the cultural genocide being committed by these groups.  Since many, if not all, of these missionary efforts either originate in my country, or may be heavily financed by our religious congregations, I think it is imperative that this message get out.

To this end, I would like to have permission to submit, publish quote from or otherwise distribute Christian Eckert’s comments.  There are a number of widely read alternative press publications here who would jump at the chance to make these atrocities more widely known.  In the meantime, I will be directing all my contacts to your site to read these revelations.

Mr. Eckert, I thank you for publishing your report.  A decent respect for the welfare, religious freedom and the rich cultural diversity of the planet requires that this fundamentalist tsunami be turned back.

Peace,

Bob Boldt

http://www.theacademic.org/feature/116871886034959/index.shtml

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